The owners of pipelines frequently wish to monitor the status or condition of a pipeline or to check the integrity of a protection system. This may include measurement of the material type, internal diameter, and thickness of the pipe, the material type, and thickness of any internal lining if present, the presence of corrosion on the pipe, damage to the lining, the thickness of any deposits of material on the internal surface of the pipe or of the lining if present, the presence and extent of circumferential cracks, the presence and extent of longitudinal cracks, and the position of features such as bends, off takes, valves and joints. In view of the high cost of replacing pipe, and the potential consequential damage due to fluid loss from a break in the pipe, it is justifiable to carry out regular surveys of the condition of the pipe from within the pipe using a vehicle transported inside the pipe. Such vehicles are well known in the art and are often referred to as a smart or intelligent pig, hereinafter simply referred to as “pig”.
Pigs may be outfitted with electronic instruments designed to inspect pipelines internally and may physically travel with a fluid product within the pipelines without simultaneously interrupting fluid flow. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a pig may detect various pipeline defects. Furthermore, due to pipelines being situated on, in, or under a diversity of terrains throughout the world, pigs are capable of traveling within multi-diameter pipelines and bends therein and are capable of detecting the location of pipe-related problems. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of data logging devices on board pigs are well known in the art. Depending on the technology and degree of sophistication used by a pig, its sensors will record the distance traveled, location and position of features and defects, and the depth and magnitude thereof. Pigs are frequently used inside pipelines to detect the presence of corrosion and other defects.
To prevent pipe external corrosion, a cathodic protection (CP) system may be implemented. CP is a method of combating corrosion of metals that come in contact with potentially corrosive mediums. The purpose of cathodic protection is to reduce or eliminate corrosion of steel or other metals in a given environment. The corrosion of metal in an electrolyte at ambient temperature is an electrochemical process involving the flow of electrons in metals and ions in electrolytes. This corrosion can be controlled by the application of currents from an external source such as a generator or rectifier, or from a galvanic sacrificial anode, which supplies all of the current for the electrochemical reduction of the corrodant by a source other than the corroding steel. If all of the current for the electrochemical reduction is supplied by the external source, the corrosion of the steel is reduced.
There are two widely used systems for generating opposing electrical currents, “sacrificial systems” and “impressed current systems.” In sacrificial systems, the current is supplied by another metal, which is galvanically more reactive than the metal of the structure. For example, metals such as aluminum, magnesium and zinc are galvanically more active than steel and are used as “sacrificial anodes” to protect steel structures. In impressed current systems, a non-consumable metal is used to drain direct current (DC) supplied from an external source into the electrolyte, which passes to the structure to be protected. The parts from which the current is drained are called “anodes” and the protected structure is called a “cathode.” In both sacrificial and impressed current systems of cathodic protection, a path between the anode and the cathode is essential for flow of current to protect the structure.
In order to ensure that a CP system is properly protecting a pipeline, the prior art teaches a variety of methods for monitoring the potential difference in a pipeline imposed by the system. One such method involves installing a standard reference electrode at one or more locations along the pipeline together with a conductor connected to the pipeline. A technician periodically visits the location and measures the voltage between the standard reference electrode and the pipeline using a voltmeter. A responsible person then examines the collected data looking for inadequate voltages and variations from earlier data and, when control is inadequate or excessive, adjusts the output(s) of the appropriate rectifier(s). Such a method is limited in that only current at static locations is measured and a technician is required to visit such locations.
Another commonly used potential survey method is the close interval survey in which the pipe-to-medium potential is recorded as a function of distance along the pipeline of interest. Any potentials which departed significantly from the potentials at other regions or which deviated significantly from prior surveys, could be identified as possible stray current pickup or discharge points. This method involves pipeline maintenance personnel traveling to the pipeline and making the measurements described above. Single location, time-dependent surveys are also performed by the maintenance staff by monitoring the potential at a chosen location as a function of time. Any significant changes in the recorded potentials could indicate possible intermittent pickup or discharge of stray current. This technique also provides only static data and is labor intensive
In yet another prior art embodiment, a downhole apparatus with a plurality of electrodes is lowered into a casing. Examples of this embodiment are given in Davies, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,831, and NACE International Standard RPO186-2001 at Appendix A. The downhole apparatus is suspended by a long cable which is connected to a measurement unit located at the ground surface, and potential difference measurements are taken by the measurement unit at the ground surface as the downhole apparatus traverses the length of the casing. Since the potential difference information must be transmitted to the measurement unit at the ground surface through the long cable connecting the downhole apparatus to the measurement unit, the information tends to be degraded due to noise pick-up and crosstalk. In addition, thermal effects along the long cable and at the electrical connections on the surface and in the downhole tool adversely affect the information. The electrodes utilized in this embodiment are not configured for dynamic electrical contact with the pipe, and, if such dynamic contact were attempted, the signal would be unacceptable due to noise distortion.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved system for monitoring electrical current imposed by a cathodic protection system over a continuum using a pig or similar vehicle for propulsion. The system should be able to dynamically and efficiently measure the voltage difference between points in a pipeline, while minimizing noise and deviations caused by thermal effects.